​John Paul II knew pain and suffering. He experienced it personally. His mother and father died when he was young, many of his friends were killed during World War II, and he had to live his vocation in a time of oppression, watching his flock deal with injustice on a daily basis.

He knew what it meant to live on the front lines of the Church because he did it himself and helped others do it too.

So how did he do it? How did he bring the light of Christ into the darkness of a world overcome by pain and suffering? What does he tell us made all the difference?

It wasn’t having the right policies in place. It wasn’t having the right political opinions or clever ideas. He tells us that only one thing made the difference: a deep relationship with Jesus Christ.

This is where it all has to begin, because Jesus is the one who transforms the world through us. So we have to turn to Him if we want the world to be transformed.

But what’s the first step? How do we begin with Jesus? Join us next week to take a look at the answer Pope St. John Paull II provides.